BIRD NEWS Vol. 29 No. 4 Winter 2018 Club news and announcements New to CBC Council – Mike and Lyn Mills Black-tailed Godwits - the French connection Swift survey 2018 - preliminary results The Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) in Cumbria Recent reports Contents - see back page Twinned with Cumberland Bird Observers Club New South Wales, Australia http://www.cboc.org.au If you want to borrow CBOC publications please contact the Secretary who holds some. Officers of the Society Council Chairman: Malcolm Priestley, Havera Bank, Howgill Lane, Sedbergh, LA10 5HB tel. 015396 20104; [email protected] Vice-chairmen: Mike Carrier, Peter Howard, Nick Franklin Secretary: David Piercy, 64 The Headlands, Keswick, CA12 5EJ; tel. 017687 73201; [email protected] Treasurer: Treasurer: David Cooke, Mill Craggs, Bampton, CA10 2RQ tel. 01931 713392; [email protected] Field trips organiser: Vacant Talks organiser: Vacant Members: Colin Auld Jake Manson Lyn Mills Mike Mills Adam Moan Recorders County: Chris Hind, 2 Old School House, Hallbankgate, Brampton, CA8 2NW [email protected] tel. 016977 46379 Barrow/South Lakeland: Ronnie Irving, 24 Birchwood Close, Kendal LA9 5BJ [email protected] tel. 01539 727523 Carlisle & Eden: Chris Hind, 2 Old School House, Hallbankgate, Brampton, CA8 2NW [email protected] tel. 016977 46379 Allerdale & Copeland: Nick Franklin, 19 Eden Street, Carlisle CA3 9LS [email protected] tel. 01228 810413 C.B.C. Bird News Editor: Dave Piercy B.T.O. Representatives Cumbria: Colin Gay, 8 Victoria Street, Millom LA18 5AS [email protected] tel. 01229 773820 Assistant rep: Dave Piercy 94 Club news and announcements AGM report At the AGM of October 5th 2018 Mike and Lyn Mills were elected as mem- bers of council. Full minutes are available on request from the secretary. Subscriptions The Cumbria Bird Club 2018/2019 subscription was due on 1st October. If you receive a subscription form with this mailing then according to my records we have not yet received your payment. Please let me know if this is not the case. Please pay overdue subscriptions as soon as possible. Thanks. Gift Aid Claiming Cumbria Bird Club can reclaim 25% of a members subscription each year if we hold a valid signed Gift Aid declaration. Currently approximately 50% of members have provided the necessary document. This results in additional income of £450 per annum. If you are a taxpayer and haven’t signed a decla- ration please consider doing so. Either use the form on the Club website or request one from Dave Piercy or myself. Please remember if you no longer pay tax we need to hear from you so we stop claiming. Any queries please contact me by email. David Cooke – Treasurer [email protected] CBC Long-eared Owl survey 2019 See the Autumn newsletter for full details - still time to sign up. Read the arti- cle in this newsletter to whet your appetite. If you would be interested in help- ing out with this survey, e-mail [email protected] to find out if there are vacant areas nearby and for further detailed information and re- cording forms. CBC meeting programme winter 2018/2019 The annual Cumbria Bird Club bird race will be held on Sunday 6th of January 2019, and finishes at 5.30pm at the Agricultural Hotel, Castlegate Penrith, CA11 7JE. New teams are always welcome, so why not give it a go! It's fun and exciting. See the attached forms and rules or contact Phil Evans direct mob: 07377653342 e-mail: [email protected] Wednesday 9th January 2019: Tullie House 7.15pm Joint with Carlisle NHS ‘Reintroductions for a Wilder Cumbria?’ - Kevin Scott Northern Reserves Manager CWT Monday 11th March 2019 Friends House, Stramongate, Kendal The First Fred Gould Memorial Lecture joint with KNHS ‘Fred Gould, wildlife photographer’ - Gary and Lindsey Gould Wildlife photos taken by Fred Gould during his lifetime. 95 New to CBC Council – Mike and Lyn Mills Newly elected, we are happy to serve on Council and hope that we may make a worthwhile contribution. Your Council comprises the best of ornitho- logical knowledge and experience and, while we cannot hope to add much to that base, we hope to be able to support the running of the club in whatever ways we can. We have both had involvement with clubs and charities in the past including Copeland Swimming Club, Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre and Whitehaven Harbour Youth Project where we have always enjoyed a hands on approach to team work and involvement with young people. Birding wise, Mike started at junior school and progressed through wardening Little Terns, ringing exploits and membership of the Essex Club (EBWPS). Meanwhile Lyn, Whitehaven born, developed her love of birds chasing Ring Ousels on the fells! We have both enjoyed amateure'ish status on the CBC Bird Race. For years Mike's bogey bird was the Spoonbill while Lyn's was the Bittern. Lyn also lays claim to counting 42 Bald Eagles in a boring day, sea kayaking in British Columbia! Mike can't single out a favourite among birds whilst Lyn just loves the sound of Goldeneye wings. Both of us have a love of islands and in February 1975 Mike joined Mike Car- rier and the late Norman Hammond on a winter birding visit to the outer isles, which dates him. Living in Ennerdale during the 1980's led to encounters with Dotterel follower, John Callion, and Mike's first meeting with club secretary Dave Piercy. We look forward to meeting many more of you during the com- ing year and working for the good of the club. Mike and Lyn Mills, Whitehaven. Cumbria. [email protected]. 96 Black-tailed Godwits - the French connection I am aware of two colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwits that have been seen on the Duddon Estu- ary this year. It turns out they were both ringed and fitted with satellite tags on 19th December 2017 on the French coast near Rochefort, midway between Nantes and Bordeaux. The first was photographed by Paul Swales at Millom Pier on 13th May. I’ve done a lot of god- wit ring-reading and all the birds Black-tailed Godwit, Millom Pier, Paul Swales I’d seen previously had a combi- nation of ‘normal’ colour rings, so I was surprised to see the tall blue ring on the right tibia of this bird; the colour rings on the left tibia were yellow/white/ green, with the metal ring on the left tarsus (YWG/m). The back-mounted satellite tag can just be seen in Paul’s excellent photo. If my understanding of my wader guide is correct, this is a male of the Icelandic subspecies (Limosa limosa islandica) in breeding plumage. The second ringed godwit (also in breeding plumage) was seen by myself on the tern island at Hodbarrow, roosting with four other Black-tailed Godwits among 300 Redshanks at 2pm on 16th July. After the tide at Haverigg had gone out, all these birds were seen feeding on the exposed muddy intertidal area near Hodbarrow sea wall at 8.30pm. A tall blue ring with three white spots was on the right tibia, just like the previous bird, but the colour rings on the left tibia were yellow/white/white (YWW/m). The islandica subspecies ‘breeds principally in Iceland but with a few pairs in northern Scotland and northwest Norway, and winters largely in Britain, Ire- land and western France with smaller numbers in Spain and Portu- gal’ (BTO’s Migration Atlas, Wernham et al 2002). Egg laying starts in late May in Iceland (BWP), so presumably YWG/m was on its way to its breeding grounds. Black-tailed Godwits start to arrive back in Cumbria in early July (county bird reports), so the presence of YWW/m on 16th July was not un- usual. It could have been a failed breeder, but if it had arrived on its breeding site in late May, it would have had just enough time to raise a family before returning south to its winter destination. If I can obtain any information from the owner of the satellite data about either of these birds, I will let you know. Doug Radford 97 Swift survey 2018 - preliminary results The CBC pilot Swift survey was carried out last summer by around 70 volun- teers. Data was also received from the local Swift groups. Thank you to all who took part. We believe that the data collected this year and in future years will prove both interesting as well as valuable to planning authorities. Aims and scope There were two strands to the survey. The main aim was to carry out timed counts in suitable habitats. A subsidiary aim was to detail any nests found. As nests are difficult to find, Swifts dart in and out in the blink of an eye, it was envisaged that few would be discovered. This assessment did not allow for so many eagle-eyed surveyors and in particular the work of local Swift groups who have been amassing data on nests for some years. We therefore now have details of hundreds of nest sites around the county. The data for all these nests will take some time to process and is therefore not considered for this preliminary report. Coverage The map overleaf shows the 126 locations where a total of 535 counts were made. Good coverage of the county was achieved with surveys spread over thirty-nine 10km squares. A number of points selected around Carlisle, a sprinkling of our major towns and some smaller villages and hamlets provided a good mix of suitable habitats.